What Lies Beyond
Plot From the last episode, a massive firewave is emmited, following Ben's scream. Ben: Aaaaah! Ben's voice turns deep and raspy. As the green light subsides, we see Ben as a humanoid made out of grey rock, named X-plodoflame. Certain parts of his body are cracked (such as his wrists and shoulders), showing dark orange-colored fire. He has hair made of fire on his head. He has two fire whips on the back of his hands (one on each). A green and black hourglass symbol is on his chest. X-plodoflame: I- I'm alive? Even after being burnt to a crisp? (clears throat) And my voice...I sound like a monster. (softly) Maybe I am a monster. (sighs) What am I gonna do? I can't go back to the campsite looking like this. In a fit of rage, he stomps his foot against the ground. The camera shifts to below his foot to reveal that the ground under him is starting to melt. The camera returns to normal third-person view. X-plodoflame steps back and inspects the hole. X-plodoflame: Whoa! I'' did ''that? X-plodoflame grabs the two ends of the hole and pulls it, revealing a heavily-damaged cockpit underneath. He jumps in the hole and looks around. There are pieces of red and black metal frozen in ice. We focus on what should be the throne on one side of the room. However, rubble is piled against it. on the other side, instead of a pilot's seat, the window is smashed and another ship is wedged through. The front bumper is dented. X-plodoflame looks at both sides over and over again before running towards the throne. He removes a few pieces of rubble. Beneath, we see part of a block of ice. X-plodoflame's eyes widen. X-plodoflame: Is someone in here? X-plodoflame removes the remaining pieces of rubble, revealing what - or rather, who - is trapped under the rubble; Vilgax. X-plodoflame gasps and takes a few steps back. X-plodoflame: Another monster- alien- creature...thing? He inspects Vilgax's frozen body from head to toe. extending his arm at Vilgax: I have fire powers. I should be able to free...it. He pulls his arm back, placing his hand on his chin. X-plodoflame: But...But should I? He nods and puts his hand on the thin layer of ice. It rapidly melts. X-plodoflame stands back as Vilgax moves his arm slightly for the first time in years. X-plodoflame: Hello? Vilgax: Where am I? (looks at X-plodoflame) Who are- He grabs him by the neck and holds him in the air. struggling to escape: Whoa! I saved you! What's the deal? pointing at the symbol on X-plodoflame's chest: You are in possession of the Omnitrix! X-plodoflame: Is that what it's- Vilgax throws X-plodoflame on the ground a few feet away from him and approaches him. Vilgax: It is because of that device that I wound up on this miserable planet for years, decades, maybe millenia! He kicks X-plodoflame across the floor. Vilgax: But no more. getting up very slowly: Look, I didn't mean to take this watch, but I can give it back. Vilgax: Oh, no. You will suffer until your last breath, when I pry the Omnitrix from your dead hands. We see a campsite in the middle of the forest. A campfire is lit up in the middle, with logs around it. An orange-haired girl with green eyes wearing a dark blue blouse with white pants is sitting on a log, roasting s'mores. Not too far away from her, an elderly man with black eyes wearing a white shirt and blue pants is setting up a tent. Man: Gwen, where's Ben? Shouldn't he have come back by now? Gwen/Girl: I don't know, Grandpa. We're better off without him anyway. (chuckles) Man: What on Earth could he be doing? We switch scenes to Ben, now in human form, running, through his view, though it is shaky. He turns to a corner. We hear the faint sounds of him panting and metal clanging. We return to third-person view to reveal Vilgax a few steps behind him. He stops and watches as Ben runs further away from him. Vilgax smashes the ground, causing it to shake. Ben wobbles for a second before falling face-first to the ground. Vilgax walks towards Ben and kicks him lightly, turning Ben's body so he faces him. Ben's eyes are closed. Vilgax: Did you really think you would outrun me? Foolish boy. He grabs Ben by the shirt, awakening Ben. He squirms and tries to escape Vilgax, to no avail. Vilgax laughs in enjoyment and positions his claws near Ben's stomach. Ben repeatedly smacks the Omnitrix, to no avail. Vilgax: Your impatience with the Omnitrix is proof enough that you are not worthy of it. Green sparks bounce off the Omnitrix, and encases Ben. As it fades, a five-foot gray falcon named Falconstrike with black underwear, green belt, straps on his knees, elbows, wrists and heels, and a collar is in Ben's place. He has black eyes with green pupils. Vilgax drops Falconstrike due to the intense green light, rubbing his eyes. Falconstrike: I'm...a bird. Well, at least I'll be able to fly. He runs and spreads his wings out, trying to fly. He leaps off the ground and flies, though badly. Falconstrike: Whoa-oh! Vilgax catches up with Falconstrike, who tries to fly over him. However, Vilgax grabs him and uppercuts him before grabbing him and throwing him on the ground, hard. breathing heavily: Please...don't kill me. Vilgax: (laughs tauntingly) How pitiful. Falconstrike holds out his arms at Vilgax, unintentionally firing an energy blast at him. Vilgax is thrown back slightly. Falconstrike takes this opportunity to get up and run, before slowly flying away. Falconstrike: I need to find a way out of this place. We see Gwen and the elderly man from earlier, now wearing coats, walking through the forest. The man is carrying a torchlight. Man: (loudly) Ben? Ben! Can you hear me? squinting: Grandpa Max, look over there. (points at a crater a few feet in front of them) That's a crater. Maybe Ben fell in there. Max: Hmm... They cautiously walk over to the crater, and see a metal surface. Max kneels and inspects the hole leading into the ship. Gwen does the same by poking her head into it, almost falling in. Max grabs her in time. Gwen: Thanks, Grandpa. (pauses and looks at the hole once more) Should we go in? Max: Hm... (ponders) Yes. Ben's definitely in there. Why, though, is the question. (turns to face Gwen) I'll go in first. Gwen: You'll break your back. putting his torchlight in his pocket: Hey, I'm more fit than I look. He jumps into the hole, bending his legs as he lands. He looks up at Gwen. holding out his arms: Okay, pumpkin, jump! Gwen jumps into the hole and into Max's arms. Max sets her on the ground. looking around: Whoa...what is this place? Max walks over to the wall and inspects the snow. Max: This place - whatever it is - seems to have been covered in snow and ice over the years. Gwen: How long has it been here, though? And again, where is Ben? She notices another hole at the end of the room and runs towards it. bending down to look at the hole: This hole... It looks like it was melted. Max walks over to it. He kneels on one leg to look at the hole, nodding at Gwen. Max: Was he playing with fire? (sighs) I should never have let him walk off like that. Gwen: Grandpa, what's important is we find him. Gwen and Max stand up. Gwen is about to jump, but Max holds her back. Max: (shakes his head) Let me go first. He jumps into the hole, bending his legs. He faces Gwen and motions for her to jump down. She does so and Max catches her and sets her down. Gwen: Twice in one day. Is that deja vu or what? Gwen and Max look around. They are in the throne room that Ben was in earlier. They see pieces of red and black metal around the room, coated in ice. Gwen: What is this place, Grandpa? A government facility that shut down? Max: Can't be. There's a spaceship wedged into this one. (points at the ship wedged into the window) raising an eyebrow: How do you know they're spaceships? Max: (shrugs) Just a hunch, pumpkin. Gwen runs towards the exit near the throne. Max: Gwen, wait! He sprints and grabs Gwen by the shirt, stopping her in her tracks. Max: We need to be stealthy. We don't know what's out there. Gwen: Yes, we do. Ben is. We get a closeup of Max's face as he sighs. Max: Good thing you got my smarts and your grandma's curiosity. Falconstrike dashes to a corner in Vilgax's ship, panting heavily. Falconstrike: I... (pants) need to... (pants) find Grandpa and... (pants) Gwen. He looks at the roof and his hands light up with blue energy. He looks over the wall he's hiding behind. Vilgax comes into view. Vilgax: Foolish human child. I will eliminate you and claim the Omnitrix as I so rightfully deserve. Falconstrike joins his palms and fires a large energy blast at Vilgax, sending him flying and hitting the wall and creating a dent in it. Falconstrike: Yes! In a flash of green light, Falconstrike reverts back to Ben. Ben: No! Vilgax gets up and cracks his knuckles. Vilgax: It's going to take much more than that, boy. (walks towards Ben) thinking: I need to run the other way and escape this place somehow. Here goes nothing. Ben takes a deep breath and steps back, before, with all his speed, turns the corner and runs past Vilgax. Ben: (loudly) AAAAAAH! Vilgax turns around and watches as Ben escapes from his vision. Vilgax: Perhaps it is time to see what this simpleton is up to. We cut to Gwen and Max walking, a few seconds before the previous scene. Max has a torchlight in hand. Max: If we could just hear his voice, maybe a scream or something... far away: AAAAAAH! Gwen and Max give each other a quick glance before running after Ben's voice. We skip to a few minutes later, as the camera watches from afar as Ben, Gwen and Max run towards each other. Ben: (pants) Grandpa! Max bends down to wrap his arms around Ben, hugging him. Ben does the same. Max: What on Earth were you doing down here? Ben: I just fell in and I found... (pulls away from the hug and shows Max the Omnitrix) ...this. Max's eyes widen. putting a hand on Max's shoulder: Grandpa, you okay? getting up: No, no. (chuckles) It just looked sorta familiar is all. Ben: This isn't all, Grandpa. I'm being chased by some big squid guy. He's dangerous. I tried to fight him, but- Gwen: Wait, wait. You...tried to fight someone? (giggles) And survived? mumbling to himself: Squid guy... (to Ben and Gwen) We need to go, now. as Max starts to run back the way he came: Don't have to tell me twice. as Ben follows Max: Wait, you don't actually believe him, do you? The camera rotates in front of Gwen, to show Vilgax approaching her from behind, casting a shadow over her. raising an eyebrow: Huh? Vilgax grabs her by the shirt, raising her in the air, before turning her around to face him. Vilgax: Hello. Gwen: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! We cut to Ben and Max, who stop in their tracks. and Max, in unison: (loudly) GWEN! Ben looks at the Omnitrix. The emblem is red, indicating it is recharging. Max: No time to look at the time, Ben. We need to see what happened to your cousin! Ben nods, and follows Max as they see Vilgax holding Gwen up high, with one hand. Max stops in his tracks when he recognizes Vilgax, who does not notice him. Max takes a few steps back and grabs Ben, running in the opposite direction. Ben: Grandpa, what are you doing? He has Gwen! As annoying as she can be, we can't leave her there! Max: We have to take Vilgax down. Ben: With wha- Grandpa... how do you know his name? Max ignores Ben, increasing his speed. Ben yanks his hand away from Max, and stops, crossing his arms. Max continues running, but soon realizes he is no longer holding Ben. stopping and turning around: Ben, we don't have time for this. Gwen's in danger. Ben: And how do you plan to stop her? The only reason he has Gwen is because of this watch. He's using her as bait. Besides, what do you have that could beat Vilgax? Max: Technology like that is not fit to be in his hands. We- I- need to take him down before he hurts Gwen or you. You're going back to the Rust Bucket. Ben: You're hiding something. I'm not gonna waste time asking you to spill it now, but you have to come clean once this is done. Max frowns and nods. Ben: And on second thought, let me stay here and save Gwen. Go and get whatever you have to. Max runs off, and Ben stares at the Omnitrix's red emblem. We cut to Vilgax holding Gwen. The latter is crying, though softly. Vilgax: Looks like I'm going to have to kill you now. I was considering giving you a slow death, but I have more pressing matters to attend to. He raises his arm in the air, about to punch her as her cries get significantly louder, but lowers his arm. Vilgax: On second thought, I want to have my fun. Suddenly, a small tornado appears out of nowhere, catching Gwen and bringing her away from Vilgax. The camera rotates to show Ben as a rather thin alien with one lightning-shaped eye named Hurrycane next to Gwen as the tornado dies down. He has grey skin, and he wears green cloud-shaped cuffs on his wrists. There are lightning bolts extending from his shoulders. to Gwen: Run. Gwen runs off without saying a word. Vilgax: How convenient...for you. Hurrycane: What do you want with this watch? Vilgax: To rule the Universe, to rid it of scum like you. To shape it in my image. He grabs his sword. Vilgax: And you will not stop me. Hurrycane raises his arms, creating a mini hailstorm above Vilgax. Vilgax runs his way through the storm and tries to stab Hurrycane with his sword. However, the latter dodges just in time, and is kicked to the ground instead. Vilgax: Your lack of experience is what will eventually lead to your demise. Vilgax puts a foot on Hurrycane's chest, holding him in place. Hurrycane grunts and groans, trying to get Vilgax's foot off him. Hurrycane: What're you made of? Vilgax: Determination and intelligence. Hurrycane's eye glows green, and he fires a large bolt of lightning at Vilgax's eyes. He stumbles backward, letting go of his sword, which lands in between Hurrycane's legs. We see through Vilgax's eyes as he rubs them repeatedly. His sight is now blurry. stomping the ground: (loudly) GAH! YOU SCUM! offscreen: You're not so tough. We return to normal view as Hurrycane runs towards Vilgax at great speed, attempting to kick him. Vilgax grabs his legs and spreads it, about to break them. Hurrycane rotates his hands in a circular motion, creating a ball of ice and firing it at Vilgax. His chest starts to freeze, and the ice starts to spread. Vilgax slams Hurrycane against the ice, breaking it. Vilgax takes a few sharp breaths, and brings Hurrycane up to his face. Vilgax: I will grant you a painful demise for meddling in my affairs. Hurrycane: Yeah, yeah, I get it. Vilgax chokes Hurrycane with his right hand, and holds his arms in place with his other hand. Hurrycane gasps for air. Hurrycane: I can't... (pants) go down... (gasps) like this. He kicks his legs in the air, trying to break free. Vilgax: I am going to enjoy this. Ben is cuffed to the wall, and the Omnitrix is covered in a large orange bracelet. Ben: What? How? What happened? The camera pans to Ben's left, showing Gwen also cuffed to the wall. They are both in a small dark room. Gwen: Your watch turned you into some monster that makes tornadoes. turning his head to face her: I know that much, dweeb. I mean after I choked! Gwen: I don't know. That freak got some nasty robots to inject me with something, but they didn't do it to you. And then I passed out. What is your situation? Is that watch still working? Ben: Yeah, but it's covered by something. Gwen: Try hitting it against the wall. Maybe the face would pop up. Ben: Oh, right. Ben is engulfed in green light. Suddenly, the cuffs break as he turns into Brainfrost, an alien that resembles a yeti with an exposed brain. Brainfrost: Excelsior! Brainfrost freezes Gwen's lock and breaks it. He bends over to the keypad lock and starts pressing buttons. He walks out and freezes the robot guards. Brainfrost: Come on, then! Alon-zi! Okay, I have no idea where that came from. Gwen: Look out! Vilgax's robots are over there! The camera swivels and we see a few drones, and then it swivels back. Brainfrost: No, over there! The camera swivels to see those drones, and swivels back. Brainfrost presses the symbol on his chest and changes into X-plodoflame in a flash of green light. X-plodoflame: How's this? He starts to blast the drones. One of the drones extends a pincer and punches him on the Omnitrix symbol, turning him into Ball Weevil. Weevil: What? Aw, man! He spits a small ball of green goo and gets on top of it. as a few drones start to surround her: Ben! Ball Weevil leaps in the air and spits at the drones. A large ball of goo sticks to the drones as Ball Weevil lands in front of Gwen. Weevil: We need to find a way out of here. Come- In a flash of green light, Ball Weevil reverts back to Ben, who looks at himself, shrugging. He and Gwen run out of the room. Gwen: Where are we heading? Ben: An exit. As they turn a corner, they see Vilgax, looking down at them. Vilgax: Leaving so soon? Ben and Gwen gasp in fear and take a few steps back. Vilgax: It seems you are less incompetent than I had predicted. Good, that will make my victory all the sweeter. to Gwen: (softly) Gwen, you gotta get out of here. Gwen: No, I- Vilgax is about to smash her with his fist, but Ben pushes her out of the way, narrowly escaping Vilgax. Ben: Go, now. Gwen sighs and then nods, running off as fast as she can. She takes one last look at Ben, who is trapped in a corner, trying not to be intimidated by Vilgax. Gwen: I sure hope you know what you're doing. Vilgax grabs Ben's wrist, inspecting the Omnitrix and tapping it. It emits green sparks before releasing a wave which blinds Vilgax, then engulfs Ben. Ben hovers in a dark green background with light green bubbles pulsating rapidly behind him. His hair becomes messier and becomes thicker, turning green. His skin turns into brown dirt as blood vessels pop out of his shoulders, turning into roots which creep down his arms and wrap around his fingers. Small rocks start dotting his body, along with small patches of grass. His eyes turn fully green and his Omnitrix symbol appears on his chest. As the green light fades, Terrarist looks at himself, then punches Vilgax in the chest, breaking his fist in the process. Terrarist: Wha- His fist regenerates. Terrarist grins and raises his arms. Vines break through the ground and wraps around Vilgax. Vilgax: (grunts while squirming) How are you learning... (grunts) to use the Omnitrix so quickly? Terrarist: I don't know, and I don't want to. If it ain't broke- Vilgax kicks the air rapidly, breaking free from the vines. Performing a roundhouse kick, he grabs Terrarist by the leg, slamming him against the wall repeatedly. Pieces of his face and body chip off. Vilgax makes Terrarist face him. Vilgax: That was only the beginning. Suddenly, a noise comes from the floor of the ship. Small embers of dirt break through the ground and attach themselves to Terrarist, filling his empty spaces. Vilgax growls. Terrarist raises his arms and concentrates. Vilgax punches him in the face, disrupting him. Vilgax: Your chlorokinesis requires concentration. Terrarist grunts as Vilgax continuously punches him. Terrarist breaks into little pieces, scattered all over the room. His Omnitrix symbol drops near Vilgax, who grabs it. Vilgax: At last. He inspects it thoroughly. Behind him, Terrarist's pieces begin to reform. His Omnitrix symbol escapes Vilgax's grip and reattaches itself to Terrarist's chest. Vilgax turns around, scanning Terrarist from head to toe. Enraged, he tries to punch him, but a large rock rises from beneath Vilgax and carries him through the ship and up to the surface. Terrarist: Wow, I'm good. We cut to Max running in the woods with a pistol-like device, heading for Vilgax's ship. He bumps into Gwen, running in his direction. Both of them fall down, rubbing their heads. Gwen: Grandpa? Grandpa: Ooh, sorry about that. He gets up and helps Gwen do the same. pointing at the device Max is holding: What's that? Max: Something that'll hopefully rid us of Vilgax forever. (starts running, Gwen follows behind him) Come on. We follow them as, a few minutes later, approach the Chimerian Hammer. Terrarist and Vilgax are battling on top of the ship. Terrarist's back is facing Gwen and Max. dodging a punch from Vilgax: What are you doing here?! I told you to go back to the Rust Bucket! Max: I'm going to stop Vilgax once and for all. Vilgax hears this and jumps down to the ground. Vilgax: I admire your bravery, but you are a foo- Max aims the device at Vilgax, who instinctively grabs it and throws it far away, then walks closer to Max. Terrarist runs and jumps on Vilgax's neck. Vilgax swats him away, making him hit the ground. Terrarist gets up and looks around. As Vilgax lifts Max in the air, Terrarist notices the device lodged into a tree bark. He stretches the fingers of his right hand towards Vilgax's neck, choking him. He turns around and throws Max at Terrarist, who catches him with his right arm, putting him on the ground. ripping Terrarist's fingers from his neck: RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAH! He leaps into the air and swipes his hand at Terrarist, breaking him into halves. He quickly regenerates and raises his arms. A chunk of dirt detaches from the ground, lifting Terrarist and Vilgax in the air. Terrarist: Fight me all you want, but leave them alone! Vilgax punches Terrarist's Omnitrix symbol, making him revert to Ben in a flash of green light. The dirt platform they are standing on starts descending. Vilgax grabs Ben and jumps to the ground in front of Gwen. Max is in the background, walking towards the device lodged in the tree. Gwen: Ben! Vilgax extends a claw and moves his finger towards Ben's stomach. The camera focuses on Ben's face as he screams as Vilgax stabs him. Removing his fingers from Ben's stomach, he drops him off the edge of the ship. In the nick of time, Max catches him with one arm, the device in his other hand. Max lays him on the ground, and Gwen runs towards Ben, crouching to his level. Max then aims the device at Vilgax and pulls the trigger, firing a blast of yellow energy above and behind him, creating a yellow portal. Ben slowly gets up and weakly runs towards a tree, Gwen and Max behind him. They Vilgax holds on to the ship, struggling to hold on as the portal begins sucking in bushes and dirt. Vilgax: This... is not... the end! (grunts) Vilgax lets go of the ship and gets pulled towards the portal. Vilgax: (loudly) No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOO! He gets sucked in, and the portal closes. Ben, Gwen and Max let go of the trees. Max looks over to Ben, who looks weak. Max: Let's get you fixed up. We cut to the Tennysons' RV, the Rust Bucket. We get a close-up of Ben's stomach, covered in bandages. He brings his shirt over his stomach as we zoom out to him sitting on the passenger seat. Max walks over to him and sits on the driver's seat. smiling: How are you feeling, sport? Ben: Better, I guess. I didn't know you knew how to do med stuff. Max: Well, I learned it just in case. looking out the window: (sarcastically) Sure. Gwen walks over to Ben and Max. Gwen: I have a few questions. Max: Maybe now's not the best time to- turning away from the window: (loudly) Oh, really? Not after I nearly got killed by some squid thing who TRAUMATIZED ME?! Noteworthy Events Major Events *Gwen makes her debut. *Max and Vilgax's present selves make their debuts. *Vilgax is thawed out after 25 years from being encased in ice. *X-plodoflame, Falconstrike, Hurrycane, Brainfrost, Ball Weevil and Terrarist make their debuts. Character Debuts *Gwen Tennyson *Max Tennyson (present self) *Vilgax (present self) Omnitrix Alien Debuts *X-plodoflame *Falconstrike *Hurrycane *Brainfrost *Ball Weevil *Terrarist Characters *Ben Tennyson *Gwen Tennyson (first appearance) *Max Tennyson (present self's first appearance) Villains *Vilgax (present self's first appearance) Aliens Used *X-plodoflame (first appearance) *Falconstrike (first appearance) *Hurrycane (first appearance) *Brainfrost (first appearance) *Ball Weevil (first appearance) *Terrarist (first appearance) Allusions *The French term "Alon-zi", which means "Let's go", being used by Brainfrost is an allusion to Doctor Who. Trivia Category:Episodes Category:Ben 10: Nueverse